The energy savings can be substantial – homeowners can use up to
60% less energy in the most efficient green homes.

Now, a
study published by a team of researchers in Building
Research & Information makes it clear that the very
materials that provide us with such energy efficiency are pumped
full of harmful flame retardant chemicals.

These chemicals, HBCD (hexabromocyclododecane) and TCPP
(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate, are related to banned and
phased-out substances like DDT, pentaBDE, and Tris. They are
environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, and are being
manufactured at a frenetic pace without thought to how they might
impact our environment and ultimately, our health.

The study focuses on foam insulation material: the spray-foam
insulation you may have applied to fill a leaky attic as well as
foam board insulation popular in green buildings for its
excellent insulating properties. These materials are regularly
treated with the flame retardants HBCD and TCPP to meet building
standards for fire safety.

But building codes do not specifically require the addition of
flame retardants to foam insulation and the study shows that the
presence of ½” thick drywall itself is enough to provide fire
safety for many uses. So why are they being added at extra
expense to manufacturers and unknown risk to us?

Tens of millions of pounds of these flame retardant chemicals are
being produced each year worldwide, with building insulation
being the primary application. HBCD, the flame retardant added to
polystyrene insulation, is currently being produced at a rate of
68 million pounds per year.

Because of its highly bioaccumulative nature, HBCD is poised to
become the 22nd chemical banned under the Stockholm Convention.
In animal studies, it interferes with hormones and affects the
developing nervous system.

The situation with TCPP isn’t any rosier. Data from the year 2000
in the EU shows it was being produced at a rate of 88 million
pounds per year. Unlike HBCD, it tends to associate with water
rather than fat and accumulates in the kidneys and liver. TCPP is
found globally in groundwater, wastewater, and wildlife.

Unfortunately, even if we completely stop production tomorrow,
HBCD and TCPP will be a problem for decades to come; the
similarly persistent pesticide DDT is still causing reproductive
problems for the endangered California condor and can be found in
every person tested by the CDC despite its being banned since
1972.

This alludes to a larger story about regulation and the power of
industry. We tend to think that consumer products in this country
are generally safe – surely someone is watching to ensure that
they are not harmful to us or to the environment.

A few areas, like pharmaceuticals, do benefit from government
oversight to ensure companies are cautious and deliberate before
bringing products to market. But for the vast majority of the
products that are introduced to the public each year, there is no
requirement that manufacturers prove what they’re peddling is not
harmful, even if it contains substances that have known track
records in animal studies or other equivalent evidence of
toxicity.

This industry-friendly approach is not the only model out there –
it stands in sharp contrast to the EU’s Precationary Principle
that places the burden of proof upon manufacturers to demonstrate
a product is not harmful before distributing it for sale. Given
the high stakes of such persistent environmental pollutants, it
seems reckless to pump them into the environment with no
long-term management plan, particularly since there are safer
alternatives.

At least in this one instance, our efforts to “green” up our
energy consumption may be digging us deeper into a very different
environmental hole.

The good news, as today’s
study suggests, is that these chemicals are in many cases
unnecessary additions to building insulation. They can safely be
removed without affecting fire safety. So, for once, we can have
it all: buildings that are safe, energy-efficient, and easy on
the environment.